1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a magnet orientation assembly structured to position a magnet, intended for therapeutic use, on and/or at least partially within a mattress liner, or other preferred support structure. Maximum therapeutic value is obtained by maintaining one or more magnets in a preferred orientation relative to predetermined areas of the body of an individual supported on the mattress and an accompanying mattress liner.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of magnets on the human body as a basis of medical treatment has been practiced for many years. Morever, numerous attempts have been made to provide therapeutic devices incorporating magnets which, when properly applied, are believed by some to increase blood flow and, in certain instances, accelerate the healing of injured organs, body parts, etc. The use of magnets as a therapeutic source, is based on the principals of electricity and magnetism established in Faraday's Law of Magnetic Conduction. Basically, the established principles are founded in the proposition that charged particles experience a force acting on them when they move through a magnetic field, such as in a perpendicular direction. It is a recognized fact that human blood includes ions and electrolytes and is therefore, an ideal carrier of charged particles. Therapeutic magnetic treatment contemplates that the flow of blood through the human body when exposed to a proper alignment of alternating magnetic fields could experience an induced voltage of sufficient strength to produce a mild alternating current. In turn, this current could generate enough heat to cause a widening of the blood vessels carrying the flow of blood through the human body and thus increase the blood flow.
In performing procedures involving the use of therapeutic magnets, the treatment generally involves the positioning or locating of a magnet, or a plurality of magnets, in relatively close proximity to the effected body part or organ. Further, the use of magnets as a therapeutic source further contemplates that in order to provide effective treatment, at least one magnet or, depending upon the particular application, a plurality of magnets must be properly aligned or placed relative to the human body. Moreover, the arrangement of the poles of the individual magnets or a plurality of magnets would appear to be of importance in order to accomplish a more varied orientation of alternating polarities of cooperatively disposed magnets with respect to the body site and/or blood vessels being treated.
Previous attempts to properly position and/or orient therapeutic magnets in order to accomplish effective magnet therapy and obtain satisfactory results involve various support and/or mounting devices comprising the insertion of magnets between a support member and an associated body part. Due to the recent advent of stronger static magnetic materials there has been an increase in the structural and functional versatility of such support devices in terms of locating the magnets relative to the patient and more specifically the area on the patient being treated.
One common practical application for magnetic therapy is the inclusion of magnetic material in the soles of shoes and/or foot wear or in devices which are removably inserted into existing shoes, boots, etc. More recently, practical application of magnet therapy has included the placement of magnets in association with individuals while sleeping. In doing so, the various individual magnets are connected to or mounted on sleeping facilities including mattresses, blankets, quilts, sheets, etc. associated with bed wear.
As generally set forth above and as well recognized in the area of magnet therapy, the arrangement of magnets and the orientation of the opposite poles of such magnets is important in accomplishing effective therapeutic results. Accordingly, regardless of the individual support structures used in the practical application of magnet therapy, it is important that the magnets be maintain in an intended, preferred operative position or orientation. Further, in applications involving the use of a large number of magnets, such as when magnets are associated with beds, mattresses, etc, it may be highly desirable to be able to remove the magnets when the sheets, mattress liners, or other bed clothes are being cleaned.
As a result, one problem long recognized by those involved in the medical use of magnets, is a means for properly orienting therapeutic magnets, individually and collectively, in a preferred position, such that the magnets can be removed when desired but contained in intended operative orientation while in use. Therefore, there is a significant need for a magnet assembly and more specifically for an orientation assembly which serves to maintain one or more magnets in an intended, operative position or orientation relative to one another and relative to a support structure on which they are mounted. Further, such a preferred or improved orientation assembly should allow quick and easy removal of the magnets from the intended support structure, for purposes of cleaning, maintenance, etc. as generally set forth above.